& V I C I N I T Y
Sunday, February 21, 1999
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Sunday, February 21, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Medical
services at PGI crippled Nepali
woman sold, molested Need
to strengthen basic services: ex-CE |
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Bid to kidnap two minor
girls
New
technique to cure tumours Technical
staff need to upgrade skills Moulding
kids to be Taj-friendly From
Hoshiarpur to House of Commons Jagatpura
road cries for repair Unauthorised
structures demolished Power
bills shock villagers Beginning
of a nightmare Two
arrested for selling drugs Chandigarh
lensmen call for bandh |
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| Time to converse with ‘finest’ men |
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Teacher-student ties impress visitors |
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Medical
services at PGI crippled CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Medical services at the PGI were severely crippled today as the strike by faculty members entered its second day today. All planned surgeries were put off, less than 25 persons reported in the emergency while the Out Patients Departments (OPDs), where nearly 2200 patients come every day for consultations, were deserted — actually locked. In the absence of any notice outside the OPDs indicating closure, several people could be seen wandering about, asking when the OPDs will open. Though no new registration was being made, people coming on revisit do not require a fresh registration. Similarly, no notice was displayed in front of the other special clinics, thus causing harassment to people. Prem Kumar who had come from Sunam for the treatment of his mother, said they had been waiting outside the OPD for an hour. There was no notice or employee of the PGI to guide them. He came to know about the strike from The Tribune team visiting the institute. All serious patients, especially those with head injuries were referred to the Government College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32. The GMCH has been witnessing a huge rush since yesterday. The GMCH authorities had said that they were prepared to cater to the rush. Almost all road accident cases that have medico-legal formalities were referred to other places. Nearly 80 surgeries are carried out everyday at the PGI. But all operations, including the emergency operations, were cancelled today. The bed occupancy was less than optimum. A total of 943 patients are at present admitted to the PGI as against the capacity of 980. The impact of the strike was felt the most today when OPDs closed and emergency services were curtailed. The Medical Superintendent of the PGI, Dr A.K. Gupta, admitted that the number of patients had dwindled. It was decided to close the the OPDs as the authorities decided that it will not be possible to provide quality consultations with the faculty on strike. The faculty is on strike
to protest against low wages and non-implementation of
the modified Baksi committee report. |
Nepali woman
sold, molested KHARAR (Ropar), February 20 — It is an unending saga of suffering for the 26-year-old Nepali woman, who has been sold, tortured and molested during the past one month. Her ordeal would have gone on endlessly, had she not landed in the safe custody of the Sarpanch of the village, Mr Amarjit Singh, who, along with other villagers, has been instrumental in rescuing the poor woman from the clutches of her several “buyers”. He has provided her with shelter during the past one week. Ranju, hailing from Balra village on the Nepal-Uttar Pradesh border, has been through a hell since she left her native village after being allured with a promise of a job by a young man from a nearby village. “I was in need of a job as I had been deserted by my husband and there was no earning hand in my parents’ home,” said a sobbing Ranju, while talking to TNS at Chuhar Majra village near here. She said she had been brought to India by Ailu and his friend Bainath. They ‘sold’ her to Ram Narain, and his brother, both migrant labourers, who are working as labourers at Macchli Kalan village near Sohana village. “Ailu promised that he will get me employed as a singer with a group of street singers, but nothing has happened except me being subjected to mental and physical torture,” said Ranju. She claimed that she was brought to a Haryana village before being sold to two brothers for a mere Rs 3,300 at Macchli Kalan. “Ailu disappeared after leaving me with the brothers and promising to return within a few days,” she said. The incident came to light when Ram Saran, a farmer of this village, noticed that a lady was virtually being dragged by someone near his fields. It was later found that he was a brother of Ram Narain, who had allegedly purchased the woman from Ailu. “When I questioned both of them about the matter, Ranju told me that she was being forcibly taken by Ram Narain’s brother to his house,” said Ram Saran. He was also told by Ranju, who did not even know the name of the person dragging her, that Ram Narain was away to her home in Bihar. The incident was reported to the police post at Majat village by Ram Saran and other villagers, following which the accused was taken into custody and the woman handed over to the Sarpanch, Mr Amarjit Singh, by Mr Darshan Singh, a police officer posted at the Majat police post, till she was sent to her native village in Nepal. “No case had been registered as the police did not receive any complaint from Ranju,” said the SHO of Kharar. Mr Amrik Singh, brother of
Mr Amarjit Singh, said they had to guard her all the time
as she feared that a group of migrant labourers might
attack the place where she is staying. He said a
messenger had been sent to Nepal to bring the parents of
Ranju so that they could take her back. |
Need to
strengthen basic services: ex-CE CHANDIGARH, February 20 — “Unless immediate steps are taken to improve and strengthen basic services, Chandigarh would become unliveable,” cautions Mr Kulbir Singh, a former Chief Engineer of Chandigarh, saying that only well-developed satellite towns can help the City Beautiful out of the complex civic problems emerging with the passage of time. Mr Kulbir Singh, who had the longest tenure as Chief Engineer-cum-Secretary, Engineering, Chandigarh Administration, from 1962 to 1978, including a two-year extension after superannuation, says that city has completely changed than what initially it was planned. “There is complete deviation from the initial line of planning. The growth and development of the city has taken wrong tracks. Thirty years ago, we never visualised the city to be like this. “Till the end of the 1950s and even middle of the 1960s, there were no buyers of residential plots here. I had my first tenure in the Capitol Project as an Executive Engineer from 1950 to 1954. At that stage, we had visualised that the first phase of the city up to Dakshin Marg would be developed by 1990, anticipating the maximum population to be five lakh by the turn of the century. “I still remember when we conducted our first auction of residential plots in 1962, we were very excited that the average rate worked out to be Rs 20 per sq yd (against Rs 11,000 per sq yd now). The subsequent developments, however, affected the future planning of the city. The reorganisation of Punjab came in 1966. This affected the population. Chandigarh became the joint capital of two states. There was a heavy influx of people. Until the mid-sixties, we never visualised the need for developing satellite towns. As the city started growing at a much faster pace than anticipated, both SAS Nagar and Panchkula came up on its fringes in violation of the Periphery Control Act. “We had planned to get water from the Ghaggar by constructing a ‘bundh’ on it. With the reorganisation, the Haryana Government rejected our proposal, saying that if the Chandigarh Administration was ready to bear the entire cost — Rs 3 crore — only then the bundh could be constructed. But the Administration did not have that type of money at that time. Had it been done, there would have been no problem of drinking water now. “Because of these developments, the entire planning got lopsided. Not only that, the concept also started changing. Initially, we allowed only a single unit in bigger plots and three kitchens in marla houses. But because of population pressure, came the multistoreyed flats. This started telling on services. When the storm water and drainage services were laid in the phase I sectors, these were not planned for the maximum precipitation. It was accepted that rain water would stay on roads for some time and then drain out. When the same services were planned for phase II sectors, these were done for the maximum precipitation meaning thereby that the entire water would go. But if it is not working well, it is mainly because of poor maintenance. “Though we visualised growth in vehicular traffic, the original plan of grade separators has not been implemented. I still feel that the best solution to the present traffic chaos on Chandigarh roads is grade separators. See for yourself long queues at the Sectors 8,9,17 and 18 intersection. At times the queues are almost 50 to 60 metres long. In a couple of years’ time, these queues would extend to the next intersections, making vehicular movement impossible. “Further, we never had this type of budget or special allocations. Hardly any revenue was generated locally. There was little or nothing from sale of plots. At that time the planning of expanded services keeping in view the needs of the next 30 to 50 years was almost impossible. “It was during my tenure that we represented for a share in the Bhakra-Beas Management Board. Initially we also wanted our share of water also. But this issue is still to be resolved. “I must not mince
words to say that the quality of people at the helm of
affairs in Chandigarh is not the same as it was 20, 30 or
40 years ago. The Estate Office is in bad shape. The
public dealing offices are stinking with corruption. What
we need is some good planners for the city. The
restrictions should be minimised,” adds Mr Kulbir
Singh. |
Woman sets
herself on fire CHANDIGARH, February 20 — A woman, who was caught by her husband in a compromising position with her paramour, set herself on fire when rebuked by her husband resulting in the death of her five-year son here this evening. Besides this woman, her husband and her three-year-old daughter, also received burn injuries. The family is admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32. The woman lives in village Kajeheri while her husband is working in a hotel in Sector 35. The incident occurred when the woman Devasari, (30), was caught by husband, Onkar Singh, in a compromising position inside their hutment with Satpal. An angry Onkar, finding his wife in the arms of another man, slapped his wife while Satpal slipped out of the hutment. Not taking kindly to her husband’s rebuke , Devasari poured kerosene over herself and set herself on fire. The couple’s five-year-old son, Vijay, died on the spot as his clothes also caught fire. Manisha, a three-year-old daughter of the couple also received burn injuries. Onkar Singh’s hands
were burned partially while trying to save his wife.
Police sources said that neighbours of the couple
reported that they used to fight often. |
Bid to
kidnap two minor girls CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Two men travelling in a van in Sector 16 allegedly tried to kidnap two minor girls from outside the Sector 16 market around 8.30 this evening. The police said it was a case of mistaken identity for the two men. However, shopkeepers in the market overpowered the two men who tried to kidnap the girls. The men, hailing from
Khuda Lahora village, said that their two nieces, both
minors, had been missing from their home for two months.
Seeing the two little girls in Sector 16 the men thought
the girls were their nieces. |
Technical
staff need to upgrade skills CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Over the years, the military hospitals have been modernised by using hi- tech equipment. However, along with advances in the medical field the awareness levels of the patients have increased and the emphasis is on high quality medical care. This observation was made by Lt-Gen S.P. Datta, Colonel Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical School and Centre, while addressing a special sainik sammelan at Command Hospital in Chandi Mandir today. He exhorted the paramedical staff to come up to the expectations of the patients. There was great need to upgrade the skills of the technical staff. All necessary steps would be taken to solve the accommodation problem. In addition, other genuine problems of the Medical Corps personnel, particularly in matters of posting, would be tackled. The General is on a two day visit to the Command Hospital, Chandimandir, along with a three member team of the Raksha Mantri’s Trophy Committee. The committee inspects all
the military hospitals in the country and recommends them
for the trophy. The team today inspected various
departments, laboratories and other facilities. |
Moulding
kids to be Taj-friendly CHANDIGARH, February 20 — To help preserve Taj Mahal, a dedicated band of students, teachers and professionals has started the “Save Taj” campaign in the city. A brainchild of Ms Suparna Puri, history lecturer at Government College for Girls, Sector 42, the campaign has been initiated to make the people “monument-friendly”. The volunteers of the campaign have been doing their bit in creating awareness about the plight of one of the wonders of the world through plays and collecting money for its preservation. The modus operandi of the campaign volunteers is simple. They go to various public schools in the city and give presentations to the students about the deteriorating condition of the architectural wonder. The affect of pollution — both by man and the industry — is explained to the students in detail and a voluntary contribution of Re 1 from the students and Rs 5 from the adults is solicited. “The emphasis on the school children is deliberate as the young minds are impressionable and they could contribute a lot in spreading awareness about the need to save the Taj”, the coordinator of the campaign, Ms Puri, told TNS. The campaign has covered 12 prominent schools, including St John’s, St Kabir’s, Vivek High School, St Stephen’s, Guru Nanak Public School and Yadavindra Public School, SAS Nagar. More schools, including government schools, are likely to be covered in the coming days. Apart from this, a play by the volunteers — “Main Tumhara Hoon” — “in five different schools had evoked an overwhelming response, claimed Ms Puri, adding that more musical programmes with the help of the sponsors would be organised from next month. Making a fervent appeal for donations, she wondered why the Indians, who paid through their noses for visiting museums abroad, resented the token entry fee for seeing the Taj. Complimenting Mr D.V. Sharma, ASI Superintendent at the Taj, for his guidance and help, she informed that the campaign volunteers would be visiting Agra on February 24 to deposit the amount collected by the campaign to the Taj authorities. Terming the release of Rs
50 crore by the Central Government for the preservation
of the Taj as “too late”, she said if this was
done 10 years earlier, the condition of the mausoleum
would have been much better |
Kids steal
heart PANCHKULA, February 20 — A cultural programme was presented by tiny tots of Shemrock International at the annual function of the school held in Industrial Area, Phase-I here today. The local MLA, Mr Chander Mohan, was the chief guest. Among the items presented
by the students, were tribal dance ‘rock rock,’
‘Yeh mera India’, ‘snow white’,
‘cap seller and the monkeys’, and ‘ulti
ganga’. |
Infotech
‘vital’ for advancement SAS NAGAR, February 20 — Machines have proliferated and man has forgotten what it is to be a man. If one looks into the cosmos, of which man is a minor part, one will realise his significance is net with regard to the machine but to the mind that made the machine. Stating this after inaugurating a workshop on “Information technology for competitive advantage” at the Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology here today, Mr Kamaleshwar Sinha, Associate Editor, The Tribune, said man was creating machines and subjugating machines, with the unlimate goal of bringing these to the utility of the world leading it from one wide horizon to another. “Forget your ego, subordinate yourself to your teachers, there is life beyond the socialisation of self and beyond the selfishness of society,” he said. “We are not lotuses. We have to be in the thick of the mud, experience the mud and turn it into some kind of resource. We are not a source but a resource,” he said. Mr Sinha said without technological advancement there could be no advancement, not even spiritual advancement. Technology had revolutionised life. Revolution was not an end result. It was a process that did not end. He said business should not be taken above human interests and one’s activity should be directed towards the good of society. Shun arrogance; acquire humility. If human relations went wrong, nothing in the world could be right.” Mr T.N. Mishra, Director, Regional Computer Centre, Chandigarh, explained various aspects of information technology in today’s changing environment. Brig S.S. Sawhney, a former Director for Computers and Electronics, Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, talked about different stages of IT laying emphasis on strategic management and selecting applications to introduce IT. Lt-Col Inderjit Singh, Principal Technical Adviser, Fugitsu India Telecom, circulated an informative paper titled “IT and Future Managers”. The participants included Mr R.K. Sangwan, General Manager, Punjab State Electronics Development and Production Corporation. Mr N.S. Kalsi, Director, Technical Education and IT, Punjab, gave certificates to the participants of the workshop, whose director was Mr K.D. Arora. The chairman of the
institute, Mr Mr J.S. Bedi, thanked all delegates and
speakers. |
Jagatpura
road cries for repair SAS NAGAR, February, 20 — The only approach road to the sleepy village of Jagatpura near Phase XI here and further linking it to Sectors 47 and 48 in Chandigarh is in a deplorable state. It needs to be repaired immediately. Residents of Sectors 47 and 48 in Chandigarh, Phase XI in SAS Nagar and Faidan, Dharamgarh and Jagatpura villages are not happy with the condition of the road. The 4-km stretch is in a bad shape. At some places, the road does not exist and time two four-wheelers cannot cross each other. While Faidan village falls within the Union Territory of Chandigarh, Jagatpura and Dharamgarh villages are in Punjab. The residents blame both the Chandigarh Administration and the Punjab authorities for ignoring their long-pending demand of repairing the road. It is full of potholes, making it accident prone. The residents alleged the road had not been repaired for the past three years. “ We have never felt that we are a part of City Beautiful as we are living in such a situation”, said Mr Khushi Ram, a resident of Faidan village. He also alleged that no senior official had ever visited the area. The residents also charged the gram panchayat of ignoring their problems. The area is under Burail panchayat, which is about 6 km from here. According to Ms Manjit Kaur, Sarpanch of Jagatpura, the road needs to be constructed again without any delay, as it could become a death trap. The poor condition of the road does not allow the free flow of traffic and hinders farmers in moving their produce, largely milk, to the markets, she added. The Sarpanch said it had become a cause of worry as kids went to school by rickshaw and there were a few instances of vehicles getting overturned. A similar problem is being
faced by office-goers driving two-wheelers . There are no
streetlights and driving at night, especially during
foggy or rainy nights, is dangerous. Mr Manjit Singh, a
resident of Phase XI, pointed out that railings of a
bridge en route had been damaged and was another cause of
worry. |
Unauthorised
structures demolished PANCHKULA, February 20 — In a major demolition drive, around 100 unauthorised structures were razed to the ground by the enforcement staff of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) in Sector 21 here today. The enforcement staff escorted by a strong posse of policemen, swooped on the indiscriminate constructions, raised on about seven acres along the Ghaggar river, early this morning. The encroachers included dairy farm owners, jhuggi dwellers and shopkeepers keeping shuttering material. All structures for keeping milch cattle and jhuggis were razed to the ground during the operation. Two jhuggi dwellers received minor injuries while retrieving their belongings from the rubble. The entire operation was supervised by the City Magistrate, Mr M.S.Yadav, the Estate Officer, Mr N.K.Singla, and the DSP (City), Mr Raj Singh. Sources in HUDA said the operation to axe the structures had been planned on the previous occasion, but could not be carried out due to one or the other reason. On one occasion, the encroachers, armed with lathis, had opposed the entry of the officials in to the area. In today’s operation, at least 20 shopkeepers keeping shuttering material had been given a few days’ time by HUDA to remove their material. The encroached land has been earmarked for future expansion of Sector 21. Soon after the enforcement
staff left the site, the encroachers started gathering
their belongings. The dairy owners huddled their milch
cattle in small temporary structures. |
Teacher-student
ties impress visitors CHANDIGARH, February 20 — “The essence of the education systems in the two countries the (UK and India) is the same. They are both working towards academic and social progress of the children in their own ways’’, said Ms Emma Young, a schoolteacher from Lea Campus Schools, Slough, UK. A 10-member delegation from these schools arrived at DAV Public School, Sector 7, here today. Comprising three principals, six teachers and an adviser, the delegation will visit schools in various cities all over India during their two-week stay. The purpose of the visit is to familiarise the teachers with the culture of the country and explore the possibility of keeping in touch once through the internet. Mr R.S. Vig said, “There is no better way to change negative attitudes of people in England about India being a land of snake charmers and elephants. In the next three years, all 25 teachers will visit either India or Pakistan, maybe both.’’ He also disclosed that next week, at a meeting with Mrs Sheetal Sharma in Delhi, the teacher -exchange programme would be finalised and a new group of teachers would visit the country in October. There was also a plan to initiate a project to establish contact between children of the UK and India with at least one school in India. Principal, Mr J. Boland Lee, remarked, “Maintaining discipline among students is very difficult. The teacher-student relationship is much better in India and our system has a lot to learn in this area. There is a slight difference in the education system — in India it is geared for success in examination while in the UK, the thrust is on ‘education for life’. We believe learning is a lifelong process and not just limited to schools. A new concept has been the involvement of adults and parents in the education of children.’’ Ms Barbara Clark, Principal, spoke of a novel method of educating children that has been introduced in their schools. She says, “We were finding it difficult to teach correct English to the tiny tots. We experimented and started taking classes of the mothers of these children who, in turn, taught them the language.” An adviser for 55 schools in the UK, Mr Gareth Mills, who is working with professional teacher training courses, is excited about the new project to be undertaken with a school using information technology. He said by the year 2002, every school will be connected to the “national grid for learning’’ which will enable two-way communication among students. Mr Mills added, “Interactive teaching and activities are encouraged back home though education is more valued in India by parents and society alike. Co-curricular activities, like dance and music, also have a higher standard. The trip to India will be beneficial for the teachers since 40 per cent of the children in the schools have an Asian population and it will help teachers understand them better.’’ The teachers revealed that students with an Asian background are encouraged to value their culture, mother tongue and take pride in their festivals. The only suggestion the teachers have come up with is that they would prefer fewer students in the classroom to give individual attention to each one if they were to teach here. A teacher, Mr Vernom Richardson, said that he hoped the delegation would learn from the Indian experience and the teachers they are interacting with would benefit in the process, too. PANCHKULA: The delegation of teachers from the UK also visited Hansraj Public School, Sector 6, for an informal interaction and to study the system of education, here today. They performed havan with
teachers of the school in the yagyashala followed by a
round of the entire school. |
Power bills
shock villagers CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Power bills and not power of streetlights, have “shocked” some UT villagers. While the functioning of streetlights in the villages has always been far from satisfactory, power bills received recently have taken panchayats by surprise. The bills have reportedly been sent for average units of power consumed and no actual reading has been taken. A delegation of panchayat members of Sarangpur, Dhanas, Khuda Lahora, Khuda Jassu, Dadu Majra and Kajheri, met the Deputy Commissioner in this regard and expressed their resentment. They urged the DC to issue the necessary directions to the department concerned to check the streetlights. They said they had taken up the issue with the Electricity Department several times but for “cosmetic” changes, nothing had been done. Most of the streetlights remained out of order for months together, they alleged. The Sarpanch of Sarangpur, Mrs Bhupinder Kaur, said they had been receiving huge bills, running into several thousand rupees, even when a large number of streetlights were out of order. The officials turn up once in a while but do nothing more than tinker with the light points. These work for a couple of days, but things are back to square one, after that. She said the panchayat was worried about the bills and did not have adequate resources to pay these she added. Mrs Bhupinder Kaur, Sarpanch of Kishengarh, revealed that the panchayat had received a bill for Rs 1. 50 lakh and pleas to the Electricity Department that the streetlights had been out of order for some time, failed to have any response. “We have approached the BDPO’s office in this regard but it is doubtful whether they will sanction the amount required to pay the bill. The very first problem that I have encountered on becoming sarpanch is this one,” she added. Mr Kuldip Singh, a panch of Kajheri, revealed that his panchayat had received a bill for nearly Rs 90,000 and it was very hard to raise such large sums frequently in view of the limited sources of income. Most of the streetlights
are either in a state of neglect or need to be replaced
if they are to serve the purpose, they were installed
for. It makes no sense to pay when large parts of the
village remain dark. There need for more streetlights in
view of the growing population of the village. |
From
Hoshiarpur to House of Commons CHANDIGARH, February 20 — “The issue of Indo-Pak relations has always worried the Asian community in the United Kingdom. And especially, with both countries going nuclear, there is a growing concern over the relations between the two. But this bus service certainly seems to be a good development”, said Mr Piara Singh Khabra, an Indian Labour MP in the Tony Blair Government in the United Kingdom, here yesterday. Born in 1924 at Kaharpur village, Hoshiarpur district, Mr Khabra did his post-graduation in political science from the University College, Hoshiarpur, and then went to do a two-year degree course in Teacher’s Training, from Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh, before ‘landing’ himself in London, in 1959. “In India, I was actively involved with the All-India Students Federation and had political leanings towards Communism. But I was only interested in improving my educational experiences and in going to the USA. Because of my political leanings, I was denied a visa, but I was able to go to the United Kingdom”, said Mr Khabra. Talking at length about the racial discrimination which existed in England at the time he migrated, leaving his wife and son behind, he said, “Things have really changed today. But Asians have always had to fight racism, which has been one of the problems of society at large. The British are largely tolerant, unlike the Germans or the French”. Starting off as a clerk in an industry in London, Mr Piara Singh completed his academic diploma in education from the University of London, and joined a teachers’ training college and finally started teaching in a local school. “But because of my background and political experience, I got involved with an urban aid programme, which was being run by the Environment Department. After around eight years of experience as a co-ordinator, I got elected as a Councillor to the council body, and served there for four years”, he added. From 1977 to 1992 he served as the Magistrate of the Ealing Petty Sessions Division. Talking about his getting into the British Labour Party Mr Khabra said, “It was a political game in which I managed to get selected as one of the candidates. Unlike India, one does not have to go in search for a party ticket. The process calls for a whole lot of hard work and planning”. Mr Khabra won from Ealing Southall with one of the biggest margines, “in an area with 70 per cent white population and only 30 per cent Asians and blacks. The national press had thought that I would lose, but I proved everybody wrong”, he beamed. Mr Khabra is now a member of a select committee for International Development of the House of Commons, and the only Indian in this 11-member committee, which decides on issues like financial aid to developing and under-developed nations, gender issues, sanitation, and protection of conflicts within “poor nations”. Speaking on behalf of his committee, which bases its aid to developing nations on an ‘ethical foreign policy’, Mr Khabra added, “The British Government has always promoted democracy and good governance. And India, irrespective of all its weaknesses, has survived as the world’s largest democracy, and thus has always been one of the biggest recipients of such aid”. “Having an Indian as
an MP in the House of Commons does give confidence to
Indians, and even Asians at large. But today when largely
Asian areas like Southall are being frequented by whites,
a greater degree of tolerance is visible. It is now very
easy to find a whole lot of Indian and Asian success
stories”, said this ‘success story’ of
Punjab in the United Kingdom. |
Beginning
of a nightmare CHANDIGARH, February 20 — For Panjab University “Class C” employees who have been given houses in Sector 25 recently, allocation is just the beginning of a nightmare. Not only are these houses incomplete in terms of construction but also these have incomplete laying out of electricity wiring. However, the engineering department has issued allotment orders of these houses.Particularly affected are house numbers 31 to 36. Mr Shiva Nand, General Secretary of the Panjab University Class “C” Staff Association, said the work in these houses was incomplete as far as flooring of compounds and woodwork was concerned. The windows were not fitted with glass. Manholes were filled with
mud. There is no proper approach road to this cluster of
houses. Even a number of houses of Class “C”
employees in Sector 14 where work on an additional room
and a kitchen each was to be completed is yet to be
executed since 1995. Certain houses in this locality cry
for doors and proper maintenance of roofs, Kartar Singh,
President of the association said. |
Time to
converse with ‘finest’ men CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Book fairs often put avid book hunters in a dilemma about which one to pick and which to leave. More so, when the opportunity to choose from their favourite authors is rare. Not surprising then that hundreds of book lovers should dabble mentally whether to pick an English classic or a latest copy of Indian writers at the Chandigarh Book Fair which opened at the Circus Ground, Sector 17 here today. The fair is being organised by National Book Trust and will continue till February 28. Portraits of Shelley, Yeats, Tagore, Gandhi, Ghalib, Waris Shah and the likes, staring at onlookers from the glossy covers of hardbounds and paperbacks, seem to goad them to enter into a “conversation with the finest men of past centuries”. The fair has a judicious mix of various fields to offer to adventurers in the mysterious world of words.The packaging and presentation of literary compilations is equally matched by the science and technology section. Also on display are books in the children’s section,on religion, indology, social sciences and other scholarly pursuits. There are about 135 stalls of publications in nearly all languages of the country. The pavillion of Punjabi is a special feature.Work was still on when the fair opened today. Mr Gurbachan Singh, President of the Punjabi Publishers Association, Delhi, said the stall meant for the Punjabi section was earlier allotted a remote corner and later shifted. Apart from private publishers, the stalls of Sahitya Akademi, The National Book Trust, Panjab University Publication, Punjabi University Publications and the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies are of special interest. Mr Ashok Sharma, Public Relations Officer of the IIAS, Shimla, said the major publications on display included research works by fellows, proceedings of various seminars organised by the institute, lectures of visiting faculty and house journals. The stall could be of particular interest to research scholars in various fields. Mr Pradeep Chhabra, at the Sahitya Akademi stall, said the akademi published books in 24 different languages.The special feature of the stall is that it includes biographies of literary figures who shaped Indian literature.There are also translations of works of foreign languages.The akademi will honour Mohan Bhandari, an eminent writer, on February 23. A large number of private publishers have collections on self-improvement, career advancement, health, gardening , cooking and other ‘how-to-do-it’ titles on display. Mr N.B.Bhattacharjee, Director of National Book Trust, said the trust had several titles under various series. They included Nehru Bal Pustakalaya (for children), major writers, books on popularisation of science and series for the blind and teenagers . The trust tries to identify writers who are not reprinted by publishers for economic reasons and brings out their creations, he added. The crowd was minimal when
the fair opened in the morning. Exhibitors could still be
seen arranging their books. However, towards the evening,
a sizeable number came to peep at the “carriers of
civilisations”. |
Two
arrested for selling drugs SAS NAGAR, February 20 — Two persons, including a grocer, have been arrested by the Sohana police for selling drugs in Zirakpur and the adjoining areas. In a press note issued here today, Mr B.S. Randhawa, Superintendent of Police, said Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Nadiali village, and Rakesh Kumar Gulati of Zirakpur, were arrested for selling drugs in Zirakpur and its nearby areas. A large quantity of drugs were seized from the accused, who did not have any licence, he said. He said the accused were
in the business for many years and had been selling drugs
to school and college students. A case under Section 22
of the NDPS Act has been registered against them. |
Yatra to be
flagged off today CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Mr Muni Lal, All-India BJP president of the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Morcha, will flag off the “yuva jagran yatra” of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) from the party office in Sector 33 to Fatehgarh Sahib tomorrow. A meeting to review the preparations for the yatra was held here today under the chairmanship of Mr Satinder Singh, BJYM President. Prominent among those attended the meeting were Mr Shakti Prakash Devshali, Mr Sanjeev Chadha, Mr Kuldeep Luthra and Mr Ravinder Malhotra. The yatra being organised by the morcha as part of the “Yuva chetna varsh” and tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa will pass through Sohana, Landran and Chunni villages before culminating at a gurdwara in Fatehgarh Sahib. Mr Roshan Lal Jindal,
convener of the Industrial Cell of the local unit of the
BJP, will be “yatra pramukh” |
New
technique to cure tumours CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Within two months the PGI will start a revolutionary technique to cure certain types of tumours and abnormal cell growth in the head. It is a super speciality of radiology and is known as neuro radiology. This technique will eliminate the requirement of surgery in a large number of cases. All the sophisticated machinery like the cathedar guide wire system and the digital angiography machine has been procured. The last requirement are a few cathedars and wires. “Once they are here we will commence immediately,” explained Dr N. Khandelwal, who is the neuro radiologist at the PGI. In the future surgery will be minimally invasive. Explaining the method , Prof N.K. Mishra from AIIMS, New Delhi , said a fine cathedar is passed through the veins to implant a drug or specifically cut off blood supply to the infected part thus leading to rapid shrinkage of the growth, he said. “With the technique we can implant a drug at a specific area, cut off the blood supply and make the tumour melt.” This could be an answer to lot many neuro surgeries, he said. Comparing this with traditional chemotherapy he said it took several weeks for chemotherapy to react while with this technique it was just one shot. Unlike surgery where the head had to be opened up in the new method “we can reach the problematic areas through a small incision.” Both doctors were attending the scientific programme organised jointly for the doctors of AIIMS, PGI and Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC). Project Director, Dr Manorama Berry, said that this was the sixth such training course. It was like sharing
knowledge between the three institutes of the region.
“We take an issue and go in depth”, she added.
This time the topic was neuroradiology, including head
and neck imaging. |
Chandigarh
lensmen call for bandh CHANDIGARH, February 20 — The Executive Committee of the Chandigarh Photographers Association today gave a two-day bandh call from February 22 in protest against the imposition of sales tax on their counterparts in Punjab. According to a press note, all photo shops, studios and photo labs would remain closed on these days. The Punjab Photographers Association had already given a bandh call for two days. The press note also
opposed the proposed amendment in the Sales Tax Act by
the Chandigarh Administration. |
Request
stall a big draw CHANDIGARH, February 20 — The annual fete of Home Science College, Sector 10, was inaugurated at the college grounds by Mrs Anuradha Gupta, Home Secretary, here today. A dance by the tiny tots of Chatinya, a school under the Child Development Department of the college, was well presented. The college girls danced to the popular Daler Mehndi numbers. A total of 42 stalls, most of them put up by the college, had various interesting game stalls. Many stalls of eatables were put up by the students. These comprised stalls of chocolates, ice-creams, chat, macaroni and “jaljeera” to name a few. Surprisingly, the fete had a book stall also though there were no takers for any kind of books and it wore a deserted look throughout the day. The most popular stall, as
usual, was the request stall, thronged by one and all.
Most of the requests came for “Oh Carol” by
Stereo Nation and “Dil Lay Gayee Kuddi”.
Various contests in fresh and dry flower arrangement,
foliage arrangement, mehndi, group and individual rangoli
were held in the morning. A total of 40 students worked
for over two weeks to organise the fete. The team was
headed by Harpreet Kaur and Jayati Sud. |
New
building for school CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Kendriya Vidyalaya (OCF), Sector 29, today formally shifted to its new spacious building recently constructed at a cost of over Rs 2 crore in the same sector. The land for the building was provided by the Ordnance Cable Factory management. Mr S.K. Gupta, Principal
of the school, said the new school would function as a
two-section school, besides accommodating the regional
office of the Sangathan. |
CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Industry’s involvement in the decision making process at all stages of educational development should be increased with a view to obtaining feedback for improvement in education and training programmes. This was said by Mr M.M. Ansari, Director of the Society for Excellence in Education, at a seminar on “Challenges before technical education” organised the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad at Panjab University here today. Mr Ansari suggested that ways and means of sharing facilities that are created at huge costs should be found among the educational institutes and the industry and fiscal concessions should be given to the industry to fund education. Mr Ansari suggested that institutions needed to impove their credibility by offering programmes as were required to raise industrial productivity which alone could assure funding support from industry. Dr Naresh Padha, a Reader in the Department of Physics at Jammu University, said placements of the academic institutions should be made more effective. There should be more industry-academia joint ventures. Dr Jandhyala B.G. Tilak, a senior fellow at the NIEPA, New Delhi, in his paper argued that reforms suggested by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) that institutes should generate funds from non-government sources might not be the best measure. The government had to continue to play a dominant role in financing higher education. Other participants in the two day seminar included Dr Yogesh Singh and Mr Dinesh Kumar, both from GJ University, Hissar, and Dr L.N. Mittal and Dr Y.K. Anand, both from the TTTI, Chandigarh. Extension: Construction on phase II of the Students Centre of Panjab University will begin in March following assurance by the local member of Parliament, Mr Satya Pal Jain, to allocate Rs 9.37 lakh for the purpose. This information was given to mediapersons by Dr R.S. Grewal, Dean, Student Welfare. There is a proposal to enlarge the cemented area and construct at least four more shops in the vicinity of the area. Dr Grewal said the
university was also considering construction of a 16-room
students Guest House near the Students Centre. |
CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Two groups of students clashed late last night at a hostel on the Punjab Engineering College (PEC) campus resulting in injuries to two students of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Sector 32, staying at the PEC campus. The condition of one of the students, Kamal Sharma, studying for MBBS, is reported to be serious. He has suffered irreversible damage in one of his eyes. The second injured person is Hemant Sharma, whose forearm has been fractured. A total of 17 students of the GMCH have been living at the Aravalli hostel, PEC, due to the lack of hostel facilities at the GMCH. The incident, according to the police, occurred when Rajan Jindal and Vikas Gupta, both students of the PEC, accompanied by six other students carrying iron rods and hockey sticks knocked at the room of Kamal Sharma. The boys allegedly started hitting him. When Hemant Sharma intervened he was also beaten up. The root cause of the fight is said to be a verbal duel on January 9 during Euphoria 1999, an inter medical college cultural festival organised by the GMCH. Rajan Jindal and Vikas Gupta ( the alleged attackers) had wanted to enter a fashion show in a drunken state then and were refused entry. Entry was restricted to medical students or invitees. The two GMCH students were on duty manning the entry gate and then a verbal duel had taken place, according to the police. The police has registered a case under sections 147, 148, 149, 323 and 452 of the IPC. Fraud case: A case of fraud has been registered against a Sector 37 couple for allegedly cheating a Sector 40 resident of Rs 2.10 lakh. The couple — G.S. Verma and Kalpana Verma — took the sum from Gurdev Singh to invest it in a scheme of Divya Bhumi Agro Group in Sector 17. A case under Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered. Cyclist killed: Yet another person was killed on the Chandigarh-Panchkula road. A cyclist, Ram Krishan, of Mauli Jagran, was hit by a truck (CH-01-L-2277) crushing him on the spot near the traffic lights at the transport area. A case under Sections 279 and 304-A has been registered. Harassment: A resident of Sector 40, Karambir, and his mother, Champa Devi, have been booked for allegedly harassing Ms Ritu Chopra, wife of Karambir. Ms Chopra of Sector 15 had alleged harassment at the hands of her husband and mother-in-law. A case under Sections 498-A and 406 of the IPC has been registered. Cheating: A local
resident, Balbir Singh, has been booked by the police for
allegedly cheating Sadhu Singh of Ropar by taking a sum
of Rs 90,000 by promising to send him abroad. A case
under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 25(2) of the
Immigration Act has been registered.
|
Bittu
operated upon for hernia CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Bittu, a three-year-old tiger, today underwent a two-hour operation to set right a massive abdominal hernia. Seventeen millilitres of anaesthesia had to be injected into the striped beast in three doses during the operation — the first of its kind conducted at Chhat Bir Zoo. The doctors — Prof DC Dablania of the PAU, Ludhiana, and Dr Vinod Sharma, Director of the zoo made a 20-cm incision in the abdomen. Three layers of the week muscles had to be stitched back. And after the animal regained consciousness, it appeared to be in a better state although the grogginess continued for quite some time. The hernia was apparent in Bittu about a month back. Hernia among the big cats
is due to sagging muscles. And in captivity, there are
more chances of wild beasts suffering from this abdominal
problem. |
PUDA
demolishes 100 jhuggis SAS NAGAR, February 20
— More than 100 jhuggis and other illegal structures
were demolished by the Punjab Urban Development
Authorities (PUDA) in Phase VIII here today.According to
sources, these structures had come up on the PUDA land
during the past couple of months.The demolition exercise,
which started around 11 a.m. in the presence of police
officials, lasted about four hours. |
Map
exhibition CHANDIGARH, February 20 — As part of the National Science Day celebrations, the North Western Circle of the Survey of India will exhibit modern map making techniques with the help of computers at DAV College, Sector 10, on February 22 and 23. Exhibitions of a variety
of maps, demonstration of surveying instruments,
on-the-spot map quiz competition and a map sale counter
will be the other highlights of the programme. It will be
organised in collaboration with the Geography Department
of the college. |
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